Making All The Wrong Choices
by D.B.R Hazlewoode
Summary: Ria..what happened to you?" When Annamaria shows up at Miami Dade with the FBI as a witness in need of protection, Horatio is more than concerned. What happened to the little girl he used to know? In one week, he'll find out more then he needs to know.
1. Chapter 1

"Lt. Caine." It wasn't a greeting, nor was it a half question, one that was pleading with him to stop. No, this was a command. Something Horatio was unaccustomed to hearing at Miami Dade. He stopped walking, turned and made eye contact with each of the three men in dark suits following him, and spoke.

"Gentlemen." Horatio hadn't bothered to remove his sunglasses; whatever these men had to say, he had better things to do with his time. Like the case that'd 'anded on his desk this morning, As he resumed his steady gait towards the front door, the agent spoke again

"Lt. Caine, we're with the FBI. I'll need you to come with us.

--

This time, when Horatio turned to walk again, they walked alongside him.

"Agent Rosier," He'd held out his hand to shake, but as it was said before, Horatio had better things to do. Retracting his hand as smoothly as he'd extended it, Rosier began his conversation, which rather sadly turned into a monologue.

"Lt. Caine, an especially high profile case has come to our attention. Are you quite familiar with the Ramirez case?"

"Of course," Horatio said, giving the agent a sharp nod and continuing his walk. The Ramirez case was nothing new, nothing exciting; after so many years on the force, these things were not quite as interesting as they once had been; when he was still a young, wet-behind-the-ears officer. Tony and Stefan Ramirez, two wanna-be Mexican thugs turned underground rapists/robbers/murderers/drug dealers, had brought themselves into the public eye when they'd taken their latest victim right here in Miami. The 15 year old girl, Liza Morrel, had turned up dead on the beach, and landed in Alexx's morgue. Of course, Horatio and more than half of Miami Dade's finest had been ready to step in and take the case. But, the FBI had stepped in at the last moment and swiped the case. Horatio hadn't been half as angered by the feds as the others; he'd had high-profile cases snatched from right under his nose before; besides, Horatio Caine was the man least likely to ever get jealous. Horatio had worked with the FBI on other cases, but that didn't mean that he had to like them.

"Our men have captured the Ramirez boys and have detained them right here in Miami," Rosier went on. Horatio hadn't bothered to point out that a few CSIs had contributed greatly to Tony and Stefan's arrests, though an unnamed witness had been the single thing to bring the arrests into place.

"Congratulations, gentlemen. But I know you haven't come all this way to tell me this. So, what is it exactly that you want?" Horatio asked, turning to face them. He'd reached the front door, and with that, the end of his tolerance. Agent Rosier smiled thinly, without humor.

"I'll need you to accompany me inside, please."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey H-" Eric started. The agents stared him down coolly, a look which Eric promptly shot back.

"Eric," Horatio nodded. Eric jerked his head towards the three men in black.

"H, what's going on?" Horatio looked at Eric.

"They want to speak with me about-"

"That'll be enough, Lt. Caine. Follow me," Rosier snapped. Eric eyed him disdainfully as Horatio suppressed a grin. Clapping Eric on the shoulder, he said,

"I'll be in about the case in a moment." Nodding, Eric walked off.

--

Horatio walked them into his office, where he sat behind his desk. The sooner they got this over with, the better. Rosier closed the door, and the remaining two agents stood shoulder to shoulder against it.

"You are also aware that an unnamed witness vitally important in leading to the capture of the Ramirez boys," Rosier began again. Horatio removed his glasses, setting them down on his desk with a faint clink of the metal.

"Yes," he said, "Gentlemen, if that's all, as I've told you before-"

"Lt. Caine, that witness is in danger of dying if her identity is discovered," Rosier interrupted. Horatio stood.

"Then put her in WPP." The agent cleared his throat nervously.

"We have..reason to believe that you may be well a-acquainted with this witness..." Horatio stood.

"What are you saying, agent Rosier?" He highly doubted that he knew this witness at all, especially if she was, indeed, female.

"We need you to keep watch over her for a week. Just until the Ramirez boys have gone to trial, gotten sentenced, and been thrown in prison for the rest of their lives." Horatio narrowed his eyes at the agents and spoke slowly, putting emphasis on each of his words as he rested his hands on his hips, not as a feminine expression of agitation but as a manly stance of determination, power, and authority.

"I know _of_ your witness, agents, but I do not know her personally. As to supervising her for the week, I have to decline; as you may or may not have realized, I have a job, unlike certain people," the agents made sounds of indignation, "I'd like to return to that job." Horatio knew damn well what they were asking him to do, and he was going to have nothing to do with it. They were entrusting the single person that could put Tony and Stefan behind bars to him. And keeping her alive was not something that he could promise. These things never went as planned. More often then not, the witness and the protecting officers died. And Horatio could not be responsible for another death. Seemingly recovered from Horatio's insult, Rosier snapped at the two agents guarding the door.

"Bring her in."


	3. Chapter 3

Horatio started to protest, then froze.

"Annamaria?" She gaped, open mouthed, at him.

"Horatio?"

"Mr. Caine," he reminded her tersely, unthinkingly.

"Yeah, well, Marisol says-"

"Marisol isn't-" He stopped himself, though the unspoken words floated thick through the almost visible tension in the room. Annamaria turned to leave, but the feds had blocked the door.

"Sit," Horatio ordered. She did, though rather moodily. Sitting on the corner of his desk, he peered into her beaten and defeated face.

"Ria..what happened to you?"

--

Annamaria was 15 when Horatio had met her for the first time. He and Marisol had been watching television together, before they'd been married. He clearly remembered her warm body snuggled against his, her head resting gently on his shoulder. The peace had been interrupted by a frantic banging on the front door. Marisol had immediately straightened up.

"What was that?" she whispered, her breath coming in quick, scared breaths.

"I don't know, I'll be right back," he'd murmured, kissing her quickly and getting up from the couch. He pulled open the door a crack. The pounding continued, increasing in volume and momentum.

"Please! Open the door! He's gonna kill me! Please!" Clearly understanding the girl's panic, Horatio opened the door and ushered her inside. He stepped outside and looked for the girl's attacker, but there was no one to be seen.

--

By the time Horatio had come back inside, Marisol had taken her upstairs and was trying to calm her down. He knelt in front of her.

"What's your name?"

"A-Annama-r-ria," she hiccuped. Horatio put a hand on Annamaria's knee until she looked down at him.

"Annamaria, can you tell me what happened? I need to know so that I can help you," he said gently, not that it did any good. Whatever control she'd had left shattered. As Marisol comforted her, she shot him a look. He shrugged.

--

Marisol had put Annamaria to sleep upstairs, then called Horatio down to the kitchen to talk.

"What happened to her?" he asked immediately. She sighed and looked at him wearily.

"I think you could have handled that better," Marisol told him, "Annamaria's boyfriend is abusive. She..she told me that yesterday he'd drugged and raped her. She's 15, Horatio." He saw that this had visibly shaken and hurt her. He put his arms around her.

"I'll find him. She's 15. I can't let him walk. I won't," he promised her.

"Good, I know you'll do everything you can." Marisol stood and stretched, smiling slightly.

"Now come to bed. You can stay tonight, can't you?" He'd smiled and taken her hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Annamaria had stayed with Marisol for about a week after. Though Horatio had eventually gotten a name, description, and address from her, it did nothing, as did the manhunt he'd put out personally on the accused. With Marisol's help, Annamaria found family a few towns over and moved in, after they were absolutely sure that she would be safe there. Occasionally, she would drop in and talk. Her bruises were beginning to fade, and they saw the happy, excitable, and charming young girl that was Annamaria. She was even in a healthy relationship with a boy she met when she's returned to school. Having her around was sometimes like having a daughter. She was the only one who could worck Horatio's nerves raw in agitation, but it was worth it, knowing she was safe.

--

The happy period lasted about 2 years before Marisol had met her violent and untimely death. Not only was it a period of darkness for Horatio, but one for Annamaria as well. As she'd drop by at least twice a week, her visits slowed and eventually stopped. Search as he might, Annamaria had dropped off the radar. He continued to work a search for her, carefully, underground. The only thing that kept him going was grief, and maybe even a sense of guilt. When she hadn't turned up 3 years later, he'd given up the search, and had nearly forgotten about her. Until she showed up in his office, that is.

--

"Don't call me that! Nothing. I'm fine," Annamaria snapped; but her eyes said otherwise.

"Okay. I won't push you now. But you will tell me later," Horatio murmured in her ear. Planting a fatherly, chaste kiss on her cheek, he straightened up and faced the agents.

"Consider this witness," he slid on his glasses, "Protected."

--

Two days later found Horatio, Annamaria, and an agent on a plane to New Jersey. The flight was only a few hours, but Horatio burned with questions that he could not ask in the agent's presence. Having Annamaria back in his life was like having a part of Marisol back..and he hung onto that feeling for dear life. He didn't want to lose her. Not again.

--

Annamaria sat between Horatio and the federal agent (his name was Higgins, perhaps?) and looked straight ahead for the length of the flight to..well..where ever they were taking her. She wasn't quite sure. She'd been in a daze ever since she'd been taken to the police department for protection. Seeing Horatio again..that...that'd brought back a lot of strong memories. Happy ones, like the night they'd met(though that one had been strangely bittersweet), Horatio, Marisol, they days she'd come to visit. It also brought back bad ones; living with Stefan, the abuse, Marisol's death and her steady decline back into the life she'd been saved from..things that gotten steadily worse after she'd stopped seeing Horatio and moved back in with Stefan. The drugs, the alcohol, the beatings, the guns, the physical and emotional attacks on her and the other girls..it was all too much. When Annamaria had found out that Stefan was having sex with girls younger then herself(only 12, 13, 14 years old) she'd confronted him. When she heard he'd been dealing drugs and robbing banks, she'd confronted him again. He'd slap her around, call her a bitch, and let her know that if she ever got the stupid idea to go running to the police, she'd be fucking dead before she;d even gotten outside. But when Liza turned up dead on the beach, that'd been it. She'd known it was him.


	5. Chapter 5

Annamaria remembered the night in startling clarity. Stefan had come home early in the morning, one or two o'clock, covered in blood, and soaking wet. She'd been curled up in a ball in a corner of the messy living room, among the discarded beer cans and bottles, empty cigarette boxes, and condom wrappers. She shivered; she wasn't cold, she just hadn't gotten her fix. Stefan had introduced her to it, and gave it to her at will, sometimes letting her suffer for days before he gave her her next fix. She'd been too weak to stand when he entered, but she'd been conscious enough to take in his state. His eyes found her in the corner, and he roughly pulled her up. Annamaria was so weak that she had to hang onto him, though she regretted giving him any control over her balance.

"Stefan..d-do you have it?" her teeth chattered.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." he sneered, pushing her away.

"What happened t-tonight? Did...did you hurt someone?" she asked in hushed tones.

"Bitch, where I go is my damn business, not yours. Comprende?" he yelled.

"I-" she tried to answer, but he'd yanked her up again and shoved a needle roughly into her side. She gasped at the sudden pain, but began to relax when the drugs took effect. When she'd tried to sink to the ground, he'd pulled her up yet again.

"Stefan," she groaned, "What do you want?" He shoved her in the direction of the bedroom. Though the house was normally full of people, tonight it was empty, and no one heard her cries.

--

The memory, still fresh, hurt Annamaria all over again. She pulled her legs up and buried her face in her knees, but her eyes were strangely dry. She felt a light touch on her elbow and was grateful for Horatio's presence. He hadn't changed in all these years, and she was glad for his consist ancy.


	6. Chapter 6

It was when they alighted from the plane that Annamaria began to feel sick. She'd gotten a headache towards the end of the flight, but as soon as she'd stepped outside, it'd intensified. She closed her eyes and put her head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" It was Horatio. As soon as she opened her mouth to answer, a crippling plain shot across her stomach and she dropped the ground, shocked, gasping. Everything was spinning, and people were beginning to stare. Annamaria rocked until her head touched the cool gravel of the ground. She felt like screaming. Clenching her teeth against a sudden wave of nausea, she wondered if Stefan had poisoned her, and if she was going to die.

"Ria! You, go get ibuprofen," Horatio shouted at the agent, who just stood there and stared, "Now!" Annamaria barely heard him; she was trying not to pass out. Horatio sat her up, and with a cry, she doubled over again at the pain streaking through her abdomen. She felt him yank up her shirt sleeve. She knew that he saw her track marks; if she hadn't been worried about dying, she would have been ashamed. Annamaria knew he was disappointed in her.

"What are you taking, Annamaria?"

"H-her-" she couldn't get the rest of it out; it'd been clear enough, apparently. When Higgins returned with the medicine, Horatio shook out two of the pills and cast the bottle aside.

"Ria, listen to me, okay? Just listen for a moment. Nod if you hear and understand me." Annamaria managed to stop shaking enough to nod sharply. She found the low buzz of his voice in her ear soothing.

"I'm going to give you two pills. I need you to take them for me, okay? Then you can relax. I promise." Annamaria knew it wasn't true; it wouldn't be over..she appreciated the lie, though. She took the pills in her trembling hands and looked at them a moment before swallowing both of them at once. The last thing she saw was Horatio's concerned face, obscured by his sunglasses.

--

Annamaria woke up feeling like she was moving, but she wasn't. Or maybe she wasn't but she was. Either way, it made her feel sick. She'd woken up with a headache worse than one she'd ever known. For a moment she thought she was going to be sick, and ducked her head between her legs. It passes and she slowly sat back up. Horatio was watching her with a mixture of concern and disappointment. Annamaria looked down, ashamed.

"You didn't tell me," he said in a low voice, removing his glasses, "That you were using again." When she didn't answer, he sighed.

"Why, Ria?" She looked up at him before dropping her gaze.

"C-can we please talk about this later?" Her voice was hoarse in her ears. He watched her for whats seemed like an eternity before he nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

She must have fallen asleep again, because when she woke up, the car had just stopped. She sat up suddenly, and immediately regretted the action. Everything spin. Talk about head rush. Annamaria got out of the car on shaky legs, and had to grab onto it for support. They'd stopped in front of a small, cottage-like house. She looked around, but all she could see was...grass. And trees. And hills. They were all alone. But, she mused, that was the point, wasn't it? She was the reason they were here, the reason Horatio had been thrust back into her life, and the reason why agent Higgins was permanently pissed off at her (though, secretly, she enjoyed that.) But, she reminded herself, she was also the reason (or, at least part of the reason) that Stefan and Tony were finally going to jail. They couldn't hurt anyone anymore. The men checked their surroundings and nodded to each other. Horatio went to grab their bags, and Higgins grabbed her arm. She tried to squirm away, but he tightened his grip.

"You're hurting me," she whimpered. He gave her a stone cold look that said shut the hell up. Or else.

She noticed one thing as soon as they entered the house.

"There's...no windows," she muttered.

"Correct. And only one door; the one in which we entered. Just as there are no means of escape, there are no points of entry from the outside. The kitchen is that way, the bathroom is upstairs. There is a small living room over here, and the bedrooms are upstairs. There are two. She," Higgins gestured to Annamaria, "Is not to be left alone. Ever. Not even for a moment. No cell phones, pagers, beepers, and there is one land line for absolute emergencies only." She didn't have a cell phone anymore, as Stefan had taken it. Horatio said he'd left his in Miami; the quick look he gave her said otherwise. All of a sudden, Annamaria felt overwhelmingly tired, sick, and dizzy. She just wanted to lay down, pull the covers over her head, and pretend that none of this had ever happened; that when she'd wake up, she'd go back about 5 or 6 years and everything would be okay. Marisol would still be alive, and Annamaria would still be living with her family. She knew it wasn't going to happen, but she still hoped.

"Can..can I please go to sleep?" Annamaria whispered. The pills were beginning to wear off.

"I'll take her," Horatio said, picking up her bags and motioning for her to go up the stairs.

"I don't think-"

"Strange, I had a feeling you didn't," Horatio snapped at Higgins before turning back to her.

"Go on up," he said softly. She made sure he would follow before she did. Grateful for the bed (minus sheets), she collapsed as soon as she lay down.


End file.
